~RON REGE JR vs JEFF KOONS ?!!

thought it might restore some fun, and order . . in the universe, to put RON REGE on the art media map in the same breath as the big JEFF KOONS WHITNEY RETROSPECTIVE.
scroll down that page to see images from the exhibit.
just btw, I did see the original exhibit . . . of the early suspended basketballs, at one-time k-e-y hot spot: INTERNATIONAL WITH MONUMENT, which has apparently been resurrected on facebook. the place was a very big deal in its time. it totally switched up the ‘gears’ on the East Village art scene of the mid 80s. I clearly remember being . . stunned.
and quelle mystified.

and, I did see the original ‘Made in Heaven’ show at Sonnabend, cusp of the 1990s. it was one of the most glorious, shocking, vulnerable, and in-your-face ‘things’ I had ever encountered. although no explicit image from the show is on the family-friendly Whitney website, I’m thinking from the the press statements, there are parental warnings, that there might be some in this retrospective, which makes it a must-see.

KOONS sort of fell from grace after that show. the only reason being that the usual suspect New York City art critics always miss – the top 1%.
by 2002, when I started working at artnet (2002-2004), he was sort of a dead fish in a stagnant pond, but I managed to contribute to his re-boot, by being his biggest fan on . . artnet.
then when things got super hot for him, again, par for the course, I lost interest.
to my way of thinking, things had gotten mundane. played-out. and that was 30 years ago already !!
cutting edge, NOT.

JEFF KOONS with legendary art dealer ILEANA SONNABEND, at one of his many openings at her gallery, this being the gallery in Chelsea, NYC. NOV 9, 2002
PHOTO & COPYRIGHT: NANCY SMITH

P.S. did somebody take some go west !! . . shrooms, peyote, or what ?
maybe it was just a . . hike in the mountains at sunset ?
I mean, compare this archival photo of RON from 2009 (below) – to the full-on psychedelic RON REGE JR, today !! – on that Cinders interview link !!
omg lordy !!